


Steak and Territory

by Keiko Kirin (sakana17)



Series: Steak [8]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-05-27
Updated: 2001-05-27
Packaged: 2017-10-03 05:34:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sakana17/pseuds/Keiko%20Kirin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one with the metal cage. Content includes incarceration.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Steak and Territory

**Author's Note:**

> Heartfelt, cherry pie-flavored thanks to Merry for beta-reading and helping me polish the rough edges. Special thanks to J for helping me work through some ideas.

The event horizon disengaged. The members of SG-1 stepped down from the stargate's platform and into a wide, shadowy, marble pavilion. It was empty, so they walked ahead, reaching the front entrance and stepping into daylight.

An odd sound greeted them: an abrupt, metal clattering. It was the sound of a sea of soldiers holding their shields to the ready, facing the new arrivals. One of the soldiers strode forward, dressed in a short red tunic, leather shin guards, sandals, and arm bands, and bronze breastplate and helmet. He carried a long spear, which he pointed at the visitors as he stopped.

"Who are you?" he asked in a dialect of Latin Daniel recognized.

"We're peaceful explorers," Daniel answered in the same language. He looked past the man's shoulder at the endless rows of soldiers, all dressed the same. "Who are you?" he asked in a tone less brusque than the man's had been.

The soldier drew himself up to his full height. "I am Cornelius Marcus Fabius Quintus. And you have desecrated the Temple of Jovis." His face, barely visible beneath the cheek guards of his helmet, was tight and severe.

Daniel glanced back at the temple, an imposing building in white marble with Doric columns. "Oh."

"Daniel?" Jack held his assault rifle deceptively casually.

Daniel looked at his team. "We've desecrated their temple to Jove."

Jack lifted his eyebrows. "Jove?" Daniel nodded. Jack frowned at the temple. "We just got here."

"And that may be all it takes to desecrate it."

Jack smiled falsely at Fabius. "Before we desecrate anything else, let's get out of here. Tell the nice alien good-bye, Daniel," he said.

But before Daniel could say anything, Fabius grabbed his arm and pulled him forward, and as if on silent command, a group of soldiers detached from their line and swarmed around the team, spears and swords pointed threateningly.

"Wait!" Daniel protested, trying to break free from Fabius's grip. "Wait. We're explorers... We didn't know it was a temple..."

Jack held his rifle away from the soldiers reaching for it. Teal'c aimed his staff weapon at the group surrounding him. Sam clutched her rifle.

Fabius shouted to his men, and more soldiers approached. Sam and Jack aimed at them. Jack fired above their heads, but they kept coming. Teal'c butted one soldier with the end of his staff weapon, sending the man flying into the grass.

They were outnumbered. The soldiers moved quickly and ruthlessly. One knocked the rifle from Sam's hand before she could fire, four others subdued Teal'c and took his staff weapon. Daniel's arms were roughly pulled behind him, and his wrists bound tightly. He looked over at Jack, who was getting the same treatment.

Daniel glared at Fabius. "I can explain..." he gritted out.

Their packs were confiscated, as was everything in their pockets. Fabius held up a grenade. "Explain this," he said.

Jack lifted an eyebrow at Daniel. "What's he saying?"

"He wants to know what it is."

"Tell him... anything to make him give it back to us."

Fabius touched the ring on the pin. Daniel spoke quickly. "It's something of great importance to my people. We need it..."

Fabius sniffed derisively, and put the grenade back into a pack. Several soldiers carried their gear away, disappearing into the sea of men. He turned to his prisoners. "I don't have time to deal with you now. When we return to Urbis, the consul will decide your fate." Before Daniel could say anything, he marched off.

The soldiers prodded them as the huge army began to move.

\----

Marching. Everything around them was marching.

Jack twisted his wrists around in the straps that bound them together behind his back, but the leather was thick and wouldn't give. He glanced back at his team and saw Teal'c's arms strain as he tried the same thing. A soldier stepped between them and knocked Jack's chin forward with the blunt end of his sword. Jack lost his footing for a second, regained it just in time to hear the soldier grunt something harsh.

"He says..."

"Yeah, Daniel. I guessed."

Daniel fell silent again.

"So," said Jack. "This Jove dude. Wasn't he some big, head honcho god?"

"Jovis was another name for Jupiter," Daniel replied. "Jupiter was the Roman equivalent of the Greek god Zeus, who was associated with thunder and lightning, and fathered other gods."

"So, a head honcho god?"

"Yes."

"And desecrating one of his temples would be..."

"Bad," Daniel said.

"Bad," Jack repeated, and sighed.

They marched.

The ground was hard and dry and dusty. Coarse, tall brown grass covered the rolling hills around them. The path they were on was wide, grooved with narrow wheel tracks, pocked by horse's hooves and men's sandals. The sound of the army moving around them, perfectly in sync, was freaky.

Jack watched the soldiers in front of him, their helmets bobbing, their bare legs under red skirts. They were on their way back from a battle, that much he could tell. Their subdued, quiet marching could mean they'd lost, but the army was so big, Jack wasn't sure what to think. If they'd lost, they hadn't suffered many casualties. Unless the army had been unbelievably vast to begin with.

Most of the men he could see sported visible fresh cuts and bruises. One guy's leg was still bleeding -- it ran in a slick, shiny dark line down his calf. He kept waiting for the guy to faint; it might give them the distraction they needed to make a run for it.

Not that Jack was overly optimistic about their chances. Vastly outnumbered, and their only advantage -- superior fire power -- had been taken away. All for stepping through the stargate. Into a damn temple they didn't even know was a temple. It was days like these...

The shadows lengthened as the afternoon stretched. It was hot. No clouds in the very Earthlike sky to hide the relentless, yellow, Earthlike sun. Jack's mouth was parched. He had to think of anything else, anything but dust and heat, anything but water...

He thought about the stiff pain in his knees, the ache in his jaw where the sword hilt had hit it, how tight his boots were now that his feet were swollen from so much damned marching. Nice, cheery thoughts.

And then: a miracle. They stopped. Abruptly, the mile of men came to a halt in the middle of nowhere. Jack looked around. There were two tall skinny trees some distance away, and that was about it. Ahead in the line, Jack saw movement. Tents were being put up in the fields next to the road. Jack gauged their chances to make a break for it while the soldiers were busy setting up camp. No cover, no weapons, and drained from the long march. It would have to do.

The soldiers surrounding them stepped back, spears drawn, and more soldiers appeared, dragging a giant, metal cage. There went that idea. The cage was deposited and opened.

"You know," said Jack, "We've done the metal cage thing, and it's just not as fun as it looks."

Daniel and Carter looked at him bleakly, and SG-1 were herded inside. The metal padlock that sealed the door was crude but effective.

It was too small to stand upright inside. Jack sank to the ground, unevenly felt through metal gridwork. His shoulders were starting to hurt like hell. Teal'c and Carter crouched opposite, and Daniel knelt beside the door, watching the soldiers.

Carter wanted to try untying the bindings. She and Daniel knelt back-to-back and Carter fumbled for the leather straps, tugging and working at the knots. Jack was silently willing her to succeed when a soldier came up to the cage, rattled it, and said something sharply to Daniel.

Daniel blinked at the guy and said something back. The soldier looked at the others. Jack gave him a false smile. The soldier scowled and said something else to Daniel, less sharply.

Daniel looked over at Jack. "Fabius wants to see me."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I have no idea. But it's a chance to talk to him, to explain."

"I'm guessing we're not invited."

Daniel glanced at Teal'c and Carter. "Uh, no. Just me. The language thing, you know..."

"Yeah, yeah."

"I think he should go and try to get Fabius to understand, sir," Carter said.

Jack sighed. "Yeah, all right. But see if you can't get this goon to untie us first, willya?"

Daniel spoke to the soldier rapidly and haughtily. Jack had no idea what he was saying, but could tell from Daniel's tone and expression that Daniel was leveraging Fabius's interest in them to his advantage. The soldier seemed reluctant, but pulled a knife from his belt, grabbed Carter's wrists through the cage, and cut the straps. She immediately began to untie Teal'c.

The cage door opened, and Daniel was hauled outside. Jack watched him, putting his trust in Daniel, but still not liking this one little bit. Daniel met his look and gave a brief, reassuring nod in return. The cage was shut and locked, and the soldier pulled Daniel along by his arm.

Carter freed Jack. He stretched his arms and shoulders and flexed his fingers. His wrists were raw and bruised.

Carter looked at Jack, eyes wide with concern. "What do you think, sir?"

Jack rubbed his wrists. "I have every faith in Daniel's ability to talk, Major. We better hope this Fabius guy can listen."

The sun was sinking lower, but the heat hadn't diminished, not even in the shade of the tents. Alien insects buzzed and hummed around the sweat and flesh of men and horses. The camp was endless, and restless with activity.

The soldier gripping Daniel's arm stopped in front of a plain tent with a red banner hanging over the entrance. He pushed Daniel inside so hard that Daniel fell to one knee before righting himself. He turned around, angry, but his escort was gone. Two soldiers flanked the entrance, their spears held so that they criss-crossed.

A rug had been spread out over the ground, and a plain wooden cot was set up in one corner. Fabius sat in a wooden chair, a small table next to him. On the table was a brass jug and several bowls. The only other furniture in the tent was a large chest, on top of which sat an earthenware oil lamp, and a small ceramic figurine.

"Turn around," Fabius said.

Daniel stood, unmoving. "Listen..."

"Turn around!" Fabius drew a knife from his belt.

Daniel turned around. Fabius cut the leather straps from his wrists.

Daniel rubbed his wrists and faced his host again. It was stuffy and hot inside the tent. He took off his hat, folded it, and slid it into a pocket.

Without his helmet, Fabius looked less severe. Around Daniel's age, but with the weathered, weary face of a professional soldier.

"Who are you?" Fabius asked.

"I'm Daniel Jackson. I'm from a place called Earth--"

"Daniel." Fabius repeated the word, frowning a little. "An odd name. Are you from Carthage?"

"Um, no. You know about Carthage?"

Fabius looked at him as if he'd just asked the stupidest question in the world. "Of course. If you're not from Carthage, then who are you? Because you're certainly not from Urbis, even though you look and speak like a civilized man."

Urbis. City. An uninventive name for a city, perhaps, but who knows what the Romans who were brought here were like, and how long ago that had been. And how did they know about Carthage?

"I'm from Earth, I just told you," he said, assessing Fabius's uniform for an historical reference point. "It's very far away, which is why we didn't know about the temple--"

"Who are the barbarians with you?" Fabius interrupted. "Are they your slaves?"

Daniel gestured impatiently, annoyed by the interruption. "No. Look. We travel together. Through something called a stargate. It takes us to different worlds, and it brought us here, into the temple. We didn't know it was a temple."

Fabius looked at him steadily. Daniel thought he might have convinced the man. Fabius took two small brass cups and filled them from the jug. He offered one to Daniel.

"Please, sit. I can't offer you a chair, unless you want me to send one of my men to get one."

Daniel took the cup and sat cross-legged on the rug. "No, this is fine." He lifted the cup and took a sip of sour wine. "Thank you."

Fabius drank his wine leisurely, watching Daniel. "Tell me about yourself," he said.

Daniel set his cup aside, still half-full. "Why?" he asked, staring up at Fabius.

Fabius sat forward. "Because I want to know who you are." He paused and sat back. "We have been expecting Carthage to mount a sneak attack for years, and if you and your barbarians are the advance guard, then I will have the pleasure of mounting your heads on spears."

"We're not from Carthage." Daniel paused. "Have you ever been to Carthage? Do you know where it is?"

"Every citizen knows where his greatest enemy is," Fabius gritted out.

"But you've never seen it?"

"No. Of course not." Again, Fabius's tone suggested that Daniel was asking the most obvious questions. "Tell me how you learned to speak like a civilized man."

"I learned," Daniel said shortly. "Where I come from, this language is dead. No one speaks it anymore. I study the past, different cultures, different languages."

Fabius gave Daniel a long look before quirking one corner of his mouth into a smirk. "You are an historian, then."

"Not exactly."

"And these barbarians of yours... Who are they? The grey-head is an old family retainer? The Nubian is a bodyguard? And the wench--"

"They're not barbarians," Daniel cut in, not really wanting to hear what Fabius thought Sam was. "They're friends."

Fabius finished his wine and chuckled. "You pick strange friends." He gave Daniel another long look. "Strange friends for a very strange man, indeed," he said quietly. Daniel frowned.

Fabius looked away and called for one of his guards. The soldier brought a small sack.

"Here," said Fabius, handing Daniel the sack. "Some food for your barbarian friends. And for yourself."

Daniel took the sack and stood up. "You could let us go, you know. Let us leave. We won't come back, and I promise no Carthaginians will invade."

But Fabius, if he was listening, pretended not to hear. He poured himself another cup of wine and waved Daniel and his escort away.

\-----

The cage was too small for everyone to lay down. Sam slumped against one side and picked at the stale crust of bread she'd taken from the sack Daniel brought back. Next to her, Daniel was curled up and asleep, back leaning against Teal'c's leg. Teal'c was also sitting up, but his eyes were closed. Sam assumed he was deep in kel-no-reem.

Beyond Teal'c was Colonel O'Neill, sitting in the far corner of the cage, head resting against a metal bar, sleeping. No doubts there. He was snoring quietly, always a comforting sound when they camped offworld. If the colonel could sleep, then things weren't that bad. Usually. Things were pretty bad when they were locked in a cage.

Sam watched the camp around them. Only a few fires left. Most of the soldiers were bunked in their tents, except for the guards roaming on watch. One guard -- a tall, skinny, rat-faced soldier -- always stopped by the cage to spit on the ground next to it. She was just waiting for him to do something even less appealing.

Sam took a bite of bread, chewed and swallowed without tasting it, and closed her eyes.

"Major Carter." Teal'c's voice was very quiet, soothing in its steadiness.

She opened her eyes. "What is it?"

"If you would like to sleep now, I will keep watch."

_Keep watch for what?_ she thought tiredly. _For Rat-face to come spit -- or worse -- at us?_ But Teal'c was right. One of them should stay awake, just in case.

She smiled and whispered, "Thanks, Teal'c."

As soon as she closed her eyes, she was asleep.

The sound of loud grunting from exertion and the startling feel of the ground falling away woke her up. Something warm pressed against her cheek. She opened her eyes and found herself leaning against Daniel's t-shirted chest and looking out at a world tilting wildly. The cage was being lifted onto a cart by dozens of soldiers.

"Well," said Colonel O'Neill brightly. "At least no marching."

The day was endless. Hot. The cart moved at a snail's pace, at the back of the stream of marching men. Everything smelled bad here: the cart, the horses, themselves. The cart behind them smelled even worse. From the few glimpses Sam was able to get, she saw that it carried the men too wounded to walk.

Despite Daniel's attempts to communicate with the soldiers closest to them, no one talked to SG-1. The team took turns napping. They removed their jackets when the midday sun became especially merciless, and used these to cushion the ride, or as makeshift pillows.

When the soldiers stopped, the sun was still high, and the heat still relentless. The cage was lifted and carried to the camp -- why, Sam had no idea. Maybe they thought SG-1 could escape in an unguarded cart. The thought almost made her laugh. She took off her cap, wiped her forehead, and hoped she wasn't getting sunstroke.

"So, Daniel," Colonel O'Neill said. "They're not going to throw us to the lions or anything, are they?"

Daniel furrowed his brow and cocked his head. "Um, no. I don't think so. No lions have been mentioned."

"Ah. Good." The colonel leaned against the metal bars. "Oh, and Daniel, when we get to this city, if some guy takes you aside and gives you his prized sword and tells you you can be the greatest, just give the crowd what they want -- don't believe him. It ends badly, believe me."

Sam bit the inside of her lip to keep from laughing. Daniel, who apparently had no idea what the colonel was talking about, just blinked at him.

Three soldiers came to the cage. Two stood ready with spears while the third unlocked it and spoke to Daniel.

Daniel chewed on his lip and looked at Sam. "They want you to go with them."

Colonel O'Neill lifted his eyebrows. "I hope you told them, politely and in no uncertain terms, no fucking way."

Daniel cocked his head. "Not in so many words. They say they're supposed to take you to the women's tent."

"Women's tent?" Sam asked, looking around.

Daniel cleared his throat. "Um, camp followers, I think," he said quietly.

"And I repeat, no fucking way," O'Neill said, raising his voice and glaring at the soldiers.

Sam sized up the soldiers. "Don't take this the wrong way, sir, but right now a tent sounds a lot better than _this_." She gestured at the cage. The colonel raised one eyebrow.

"This society is similar to traditional Roman Empire," said Daniel. "They didn't have female soldiers."

Colonel O'Neill looked from Sam to Daniel. "Meaning they won't see Carter as a threat. Something we could use to our advantage." He looked at Sam, and his expression communicated it all: he wasn't going to order her; he would respect her decision, either way. Sam nodded briefly.

"Tell them I'll go," she said.

\-----

Whatever it was those soldiers over there were cooking, it smelled good. Jack ignored the rumbling in his stomach and shifted again, stretching his legs. He rubbed his knees.

Teal'c was meditating again. Probably the best thing to do, because when they managed to bust out of this place, they'd need Teal'c on full power. Daniel was sitting with his knees up, arms folded over them, head down. Jack couldn't tell if he was asleep or not.

The sun was beginning to sink, and the sky turned a mellow orange. Jack watched three soldiers approaching and wondered how Carter was getting along.

The soldiers stopped at the cage. One stepped forward and prodded Daniel's back through the bars with the blunt end of his spear. The soldier in the middle folded his arms over his chest and watched. The way he stood told Jack this guy was in charge.

Daniel raised his head. He obviously had not been sleeping. He said something to the guy in charge. The guy said something back.

"That's Fabius," Daniel said.

Jack nodded at the guy. He hadn't gotten a good look before, when they were captured. He looked now, and saw a tough soldier, strong, in shape, with dark hair, dark eyes. Probably a little younger than Daniel.

Fabius gave Jack the briefest of looks, dismissing him entirely. Jack smiled politely. _Go ahead, you asshole. Underestimate us_.

Fabius turned all his attention to Daniel, chatting with him. Daniel gave short, careful responses. Jack kept watching Fabius.

"He wants to talk to me again," Daniel said.

"You're talking to him now."

"Um. He said I could have dinner with him." Daniel had the good sense to sound apologetic. Jack's stomach rumbled, as if on cue. "I'm sure I can bring something back," Daniel added.

Jack slowly moved his gaze from Fabius to Daniel. Interesting. Daniel had no idea.

Daniel said, "If I can get him to trust me, to listen to me, he might let us go. He doesn't seem like he wants to kill us. I think he's interested in us."

Jack sucked on a tooth. "Uh huh."

Daniel blinked and furrowed his brow. Fabius said something to him, impatient. One of the soldiers unlocked the cage and grabbed Daniel's wrist.

"I'll bring food back," Daniel promised as he climbed out.

Jack leaned back and watched them herd Daniel away. "You do that," he said quietly, drumming his fingers on his thigh.

It was getting darker. Tonight a soft breeze helped relieve some of the oppressive heat. It also carried the scents of food, horses, and men.

Two shadowy figures came toward the cage. They stopped some distance away and waited until a guard had passed. They resumed their approach. Teal'c noted that one of them was Major Carter. The other was a woman dressed in a plain tunic. She looked around nervously.

Major Carter crouched next to the cage. "Hey, Teal'c. Colonel."

Teal'c nodded to show his relief that Major Carter was unharmed.

"Hey, Carter. Found a way out yet?" O'Neill whispered.

Major Carter shook her head. "Not yet, sir. The women's tent is..." She paused. "...busy."

Teal'c lifted an eyebrow. O'Neill scowled.

"Where's Daniel?" she asked.

"Daniel Jackson is dining with Cornelius Marcus Fabius Quintus," Teal'c informed her. O'Neill tapped his fingers on his leg and looked away.

"That's good, isn't it?" Major Carter asked. "He's making progress?"

O'Neill made a short, disgusted sound.

"Sir?"

O'Neill faced Major Carter. "One word, Major: Shyla."

Major Carter blinked and frowned. "Shyla?"

Teal'c looked at O'Neill.

"Sir," said Major Carter. "Shyla wanted to marry Daniel. I don't think, somehow, this is the same thing."

"Oh, no? Well, look, I'm telling you. I saw that guy, and the way he looked at Daniel, and there was something there." O'Neill looked at Teal'c, as if expecting corroboration, but Teal'c had been meditating when Daniel was taken away.

"You believe Cornelius Marcus Fabius Quintus wishes to form a union with Daniel Jackson?" he asked.

O'Neill crossed his arms. "I'm saying it's possible. There was something about that guy... And why Daniel, anyway?"

Major Carter shrugged. "Because he speaks Latin?"

"And he believes we are slaves," Teal'c added.

The woman who had accompanied Major Carter said something unintelligible and grabbed Major Carter's arm. Major Carter stood up.

"Gotta go, but as soon as I figure something out, I'll come back, sir." She walked off with the other woman. Teal'c watched until their figures disappeared in the gathering darkness.

"Trust me, Teal'c," said O'Neill. "There was something there."

Teal'c gave O'Neill a long look, considering, and decided he trusted O'Neill's perception in this matter.

\-----

There were two chairs in Fabius's tent, arranged around the same small table. On the table was a jug of wine, two cups, a bowl of olives, and a rolled-up scroll. Fabius sat down first and poured the wine. Daniel sat down, accepted a cup, and took a small sip.

"Please," said Fabius, holding up the bowl of olives. "Claudius will bring the bread, and tonight there is meat."

Daniel almost asked what kind of meat, but decided he was better off not knowing. He ate an olive, and immediately reached for another one. He'd forgotten how hungry he was. Nothing had ever tasted as good as these olives.

Fabius took three for himself and let Daniel have the rest. He tapped the scroll. "I consulted Tullius today, but can find no reference to this place you say you're from. Why is that?"

Daniel washed down the olives with wine. "Tullius?"

"The historian." He flicked the scroll and it rolled across the table.

Curious, Daniel partially unrolled it. Familiar Latin letters in tight, neat rows. The same dialect they had been speaking. Daniel started to read: _The god Jovis was banished from the gods after the defeat of Neptune. He brought his mortal children to the plains across the western sea, where they could honor him and raise more children, to become his army_...

Daniel wondered who Neptune had been. A defeated Goa'uld. Was Jovis Ra? He frowned and unrolled more of the scroll.

"Do they not read Tullius in Carthage?" Fabius asked. When Daniel looked up, Fabius smiled sardonically. "Or wherever it is you're from." He reached over and took the scroll from Daniel's hands. "He names all the known cities of the ancient world, the heavenly world, and this world. There is no city named 'Earth'."

Daniel opened his mouth to explain, but Fabius cut him off with a wave of his hand. "No matter. Ah, Claudius!"

A soldier entered the tent, carrying a tray of bread and a dish of meat. The smell of it made Daniel's mouth water. He bit his tongue, thought of Jack starving in the cage, and sat back.

Claudius left, and Fabius tore the bread into two pieces, handing Daniel half. With his fingers, he plucked a strip of cooked meat from the dish and ate it. Unable to withstand the tantalizing scent any longer, Daniel did the same.

After eating, Daniel finished his wine. Fabius took the scroll over to his chest, setting the lamp and figurine aside to open it. Daniel stood up and looked over Fabius's shoulder, glimpsing more scrolls bunched over objects Daniel couldn't quite make out.

"You carry a lot of books for someone on a campaign," he observed.

Fabius closed the chest and replaced the lamp. "I would fail as a soldier if I did not know my histories and battles."

Daniel bent down and picked up the figurine. It was of a man in a soldier's tunic and breastplate. Simple, unstylized work. A household god, probably a relative. He handed it to Fabius, taken aback by the disturbed look Fabius gave him as he snatched the figurine from Daniel's fingers.

Daniel met his gaze and said coolly, "Yet I think you lost this campaign. Or at least this last battle. Didn't you?"

Fabius's disquiet ebbed. He turned the figurine over in his fingers, looking down at it. "No, it was a great victory," he said quietly. He didn't sound proud.

Daniel noticed the way Fabius rubbed his thumb over the face of the figurine. A thought entered his head, but disappeared behind others before he could concentrate on it. "A victory with a price?" he asked.

Fabius set the figurine down with a sigh and looked at him. "Yes. A price." He hesitated, and his eyes scanned Daniel's face, assessing him. "If you were truly from Carthage, you would know of our civil war. So, my strange friend, I suspect you have been telling me the truth, after a fashion."

Daniel stayed calm, though he could almost taste freedom. If Fabius believed him...

"Your victory was over your families, your friends," said Daniel.

Fabius nodded. "We go home heroes, for slaughtering our brothers, their wives, their children."

The sadness in his eyes changed Fabius's whole face. He looked older, more weary. Daniel wondered how many campaigns, how many slaughters Fabius had seen. For a moment, he had an uncomfortable memory of Jack -- Jack as he had been when Daniel first met him -- but he pushed that aside.

Fabius was staring at him curiously. "Tell me," he said. "What are these? An ornament?" He reached for Daniel's glasses and slid them off. Daniel blinked as his vision blurred slightly.

Fabius examined the glasses closely. "A sign of some sort? To signify rank?"

"No. They help me see."

Fabius looked skeptical but held the glasses up to look through the lenses. "But the picture through them is blurred," he said.

Daniel smiled a little. "For you, maybe. Please, can I have them back? They're very fragile, and I really do need them."

Instead of handing them back, Fabius mounted them on Daniel's nose and ears and slid them into place, looking into Daniel's eyes.

And now, it made sense. These talks. That look Jack had given Daniel when he'd agreed to go to Fabius's tent. Oh, how could he have missed this? Daniel mentally kicked himself. Trust. He was going to get Fabius to trust him.

Fabius kept one hand in place, palm resting against Daniel's cheekbone. His thumb brushed Daniel's cheek. Daniel swallowed to slow his breathing. Fabius smiled and slid his thumb lower, to touch Daniel's lips. So soft a touch, but Daniel felt its dry, warm roughness. His instinctive reaction was to lick his lips, but he fought it. Might send the wrong message.

"So strange," Fabius murmured. "Nevertheless, quite lovely."

Daniel reviewed polite, and not-so-polite, ways of saying no, hoping he was going to be given a choice. His gaze darted to the figurine. Fabius's eyes followed his, and he dropped his hand, stepping back a little.

Fabius picked up the figurine again, and touched its face. Okay, now that made sense, too.

"He died?" Daniel asked. "In battle?"

"Yes."

"In this last battle?"

"Oh, no. Many battles ago. Two full seasons."

Daniel had no idea how long a season here was, but guessed it was long enough for the initial agony to have dulled. He watched Fabius hold the figurine, and felt that ache again, that grief that could never go away, could only be accepted as part of you now. Accepted as what remained, with the memories.

"I lost my wife," he said quietly.

Fabius looked up and nodded sadly, understanding. He set the figurine aside, went over to the table and poured another cup of wine. He drank it down, standing with his back toward Daniel.

"Claudius will have some food for your barbarians."

"Fabius," Daniel said quietly. He waited until Fabius turned around and looked at him. "Let us go. I think you believe me. What I've told you is true. We're no threat. Release us, and we'll go home, and never come back."

Fabius toyed with his empty cup. He smiled sadly. "It's not for me to decide, my strange friend. Only the consul can release you."

Claudius and another soldier entered the tent. They crowded around Daniel, ready to take him back. Daniel stood his ground. "Will you talk to the consul for us? Explain that you believe us?"

Fabius didn't answer. The soldiers gripped Daniel's arms and pulled him away.

\-----

It was dark when Daniel came back, tossed into the cage with another sack. Jack grabbed the sack and reached inside. Yes, hallelujah! Food! He grabbed a crust of bread and devoured it, tossing the sack to Teal'c. Between them, they split the stale bread, hard, wrinkled olives, and tough, cold, chewy meat. Nothing had tasted so good in a long time. At the bottom of the sack was a skin of lukewarm water. It tasted musty, but who cared?

Jack took another long drink and handed the skin to Teal'c. "Daniel?" he said.

Firelight from the nearest tent dimly lit the cage. Daniel sat at Jack's feet, leaning against the metal bars, hugging his knees to his chest. He hadn't said anything since he came back.

"Something wrong?"

Daniel rested his chin on one knee. "Fabius won't let us go. He says it's up to the consul in Urbis."

"Surprise, surprise," Jack said drily, lifting an eyebrow.

Daniel looked at him. Jack returned the look. Daniel's eyes shifted to Teal'c, then shifted back. Jack sat back and said nothing.

"You knew," said Daniel. After a moment he added, "That he wouldn't let us go."

Jack tapped one bar with a knuckle. "I figured it was a possibility."

"O'Neill believed that Cornelius Marcus Fabius Quintus wished to form a union with you," Teal'c said. Jack glanced over at him. Nope, no hint of a joke. Teal'c was just being helpful. Or curious. Hard to tell with Teal'c.

Daniel looked at Jack steadily. "I see," he said.

Jack pretended to be fascinated in a metal bar. "So. Did he?" He looked up in time to see the firelit flash in Daniel's eyes. Jack amended, "Want to?"

Daniel's look was cold. Stone cold. Jack wished the words back. Too late. He rapped his knuckles against the bar again. "Doesn't matter," he said. "Carter came by. Looks like she found a friend. She'll find some way out of this."

He faked a yawn, settled against the cage, and closed his eyes, because he couldn't look at that cold stare any longer.

One by one the fires died out, and the camp quieted. The smoke-tinged breeze stirred the air and cooled the night.

Across the camp, Sam sat on the hard, dry ground inside the women's tent, and waited for this last soldier to finish with her friend -- the woman she had bonded with, communicating with gestures and facial expressions; the woman who had snuck her through the camp to see the colonel and Teal'c. A couple of soldiers were busy further down the tent, but only one remained on this end, and he was... 'in a union', as Teal'c might say, with her friend.

In a union. The phrase made her think of Colonel O'Neill's worry for Daniel. Surely he was wrong about that. But she hadn't seen Fabius. And the colonel was pretty good at reading people. Poor Daniel. It was ironic that she was the one in the sex tent, but Daniel was the one to worry about.

In a union. Unbidden, an image flashed in her mind. A memory of two men she'd seen on a far away planet... She'd seen, Teal'c had seen, the colonel had seen, and Daniel had seen. It was a strange, uncomfortable memory. At the time, she'd felt embarrassed. Embarrassed for the men standing next to her. Embarrassed to feel their discomfort.

She shook off the memory and listened to the sounds coming from the cot. The soldier was nearly done, approaching the peak where he'd be his most vulnerable. Sam got to her knees and slid over to the side of the cot. The soldier heaved and grunted, fully dressed in his uniform, skirt hitched up. Under him, her friend looked at Sam and moved her gaze lower. Sam followed her look. Her friend had slid her thigh between the man and his sword.

Sam nodded her understanding and carefully pulled the sword free of its sheath. Her friend faked loud, passionate cries, although Sam was quite sure the man was already distracted enough to keep from noticing. She sat back and held the the sword ready. The man's grunts became louder. Her friend nodded quickly, their signal. As the man stilled and shuddered, Sam whacked the side of his head with the flat of the blade. He collapsed over her friend with a quiet groan.

Sam waited a few seconds to see if he moved. She glanced around the large tent but no one was paying attention to them, too busy in their own activities. Her friend touched Sam's shoulder and tilted her head, urging Sam to go. Sam smiled her thanks. She stood up, bent low, stepped backwards, and out of the tent. She darted across the camp, avoiding the guards.

"Carter?" Colonel O'Neill whispered as she reached the cage.

"Yes, sir," she whispered back, wedging the sword blade between the padlock and the cage.

O'Neill nudged Teal'c and gave Daniel a soft kick with the toe of his boot. "Wake up. Carter's rescuing us," he whispered. Teal'c opened his eyes, immediately alert. Daniel stirred groggily, sitting up and adjusting his glasses.

Sam levered the sword against the weakest point of the lock, and put all her weight and strength into the push. It wouldn't budge. She tried again. The hilt struck down, the lock moved. Breathing hard, Sam slammed it again, and the lock opened.

The camp was quiet. No one had heard or seen. While the men crawled out of the cage, Sam checked for guards. She reported back that one was coming their way, down an aisle of tents. They didn't have long.

"Weapons?" Jack asked.

Sam held up the sword. "But we'll need the GDO to get home, sir."

Something triggered in Daniel's mind. "Fabius. He has a chest in his tent. I think our stuff is in it."

"Think?" Jack said.

Daniel gestured impatiently. "It makes sense. He wanted to know about us."

There was just enough light from the camp around them for Daniel to see Jack's arched eyebrow.

Jack said, "Yeah, okay."

Daniel led the others through the camp, keeping out of sight of the patrolling guards. The entrance to Fabius's tent was unguarded, which surprised Daniel, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. By this time, their escape had probably been noticed. This had to be fast.

There was a soft, low light inside the tent. Daniel crouched by the entrance flap and peered inside. The oil lamp was burning. Fabius was stretched out on his cot, naked and uncovered, asleep, his uniform in a heap on the ground. Daniel spotted something else: Teal'c's staff weapon lying under the cot.

Jack had spotted it, too. He made a short, frustrated noise. He posted Sam outside to keep watch, and he and Teal'c followed Daniel inside.

Daniel carefully set the lamp aside, and the figurine next to it, and opened the chest. Jack knelt next to him. Teal'c reached under the cot and soundlessly retrieved his staff weapon. After a nod from Jack, Teal'c joined Sam outside.

Daniel removed the scrolls, longing to know what they said but knowing there was no time to investigate. Under the scrolls, he found two zats, his and Jack's sidearms, clips, grenades, and a GDO. The rest of their gear, including the assault rifles, wasn't there. He pocketed the GDO, a zat, and his sidearm, and handed the rest to Jack.

"Daniel."

Fabius. Daniel turned around to see him sitting up on the cot. Jack stood back and readied a zat. Fabius flicked Jack a brief, annoyed look, then focused all of his attention on Daniel.

"I had hoped to see you in my tent again, but not under these awkward circumstances," Fabius said calmly.

Daniel stood up, still holding two grenades. "Don't try to stop us. Please."

Fabius gave him a long, lingering look. "And lose the pleasure of your company?" He smiled and started to stand.

Jack zatted him.

Jack touched Daniel's shoulder and they slipped out of the tent. They could hear soldiers' shouts in the camp. Any minute now, they'd be surrounded.

Jack handed Sam the zat. "Where to, Major?"

Sam thought for an agonizing few seconds. "The cart for the wounded, sir. It's by the women's tent, and there were two horses tethered next to it."

"Good enough," said Jack. Daniel checked the clip on his sidearm. They would have to run back through the camp.

It was another mad, against-all-odds sprint to certain death that SG-1 seemed to excel in. Daniel ran close to Teal'c, whose skill at mowing down opposing forces with his staff weapon made Daniel thankful that Teal'c was on their side now. Jack and Sam took point. They were lucky that the soldiers carried unwieldy swords and spears, and were weighted down by armor.

They reached the women's tent and needed to hold the superior force back while Sam untethered the horses. Jack pulled the pin from a grenade and tossed it into the line of soldiers running after them. It worked for a moment, long enough for Sam to get one horse free. Teal'c fired his staff weapon into the crowd, and Daniel lobbed another grenade.

"Daniel! Teal'c!"

Jack had the other horse free, and was holding the reins as it shied nervously and whinnied. Sam had pulled herself onto the other one and was trying to control it.

A spear whirred in the air past Daniel. He climbed up the front of the cart and Sam managed to keep the horse close enough for him to gracelessly hoist himself onto its back, scrambling to hold onto Sam and not lose his balance. By its own accord, the horse took off in the wrong direction, going straight into the crowd of soldiers before Sam managed to turn it back toward the women's tent.

Something hard and sharp slashed at Daniel's leg. He didn't even think about it until they were past the cart, and following Jack's horse into the empty land beyond the camp. Then he felt the warm, liquid ooze running down his calf and seeping into his pants leg, and the burning sting of the cut.

Sam rode the horse hard, and Daniel had to lock his arms around her to keep from falling off. When they caught up with Jack, he was alone on horseback. Daniel looked back and saw Teal'c running not too far behind them. The lights and noise from the camp receded. The gap between Teal'c and the horses widened. He wasn't sure how much time had passed before it was apparent that they were not being followed.

They rode all night, slowing the horses to a less frantic pace. Teal'c caught up with them, and confirmed that the pursuit had been dropped early on.

"Why'd they stop?" asked Jack.

Daniel thought he knew, but it sounded too unlikely: Fabius had called his men back after recovering from the zat blast. In military logic, it made no sense, and Daniel questioned whether he really knew enough of the man just from their short, odd acquaintance. But at the same time, he had a gut feeling he was right about this.

He kept his gut feeling to himself.

"Do we know we're going in the right direction?" he asked.

"Yes, Daniel Jackson," said Teal'c. "We are following the road we travelled on. I have checked the tracks, and we are heading back to the stargate."

The ride was very uncomfortable, but Daniel was getting to the point where he was too exhausted to care. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on Sam's shoulder and half-dozed. When he opened his eyes again, it was dawn. Next to them, Jack slumped on his horse, possibly asleep. Teal'c walked ahead, fully awake and alert. Daniel yawned and sat up, and winced at the ache in his leg.

The morning air was cool. Daniel wished he had his jacket, but he'd left it back in the cage. So had Jack. And he knew both of them were going to miss their hats later on, when the sun got high enough.

He held Sam's shoulders and leaned forward. "Sam?"

Sam jerked and sat up straight. "What? What is it?" She looked back at him in alarm.

Daniel smiled faintly. "Sorry. Just checking." He cocked his head in Jack's direction. "Don't worry, it's not just you," he murmured.

"I'm awake, Daniel," Jack said from his horse, without looking over. "How's the leg?"

"Hurts a little. Not too bad."

Jack looked over at him, checking out the dried blood on Daniel's pants leg, and nodded briefly.

When they finally stopped to rest, the difficulty of their situation was apparent. There was no water anywhere in sight, no vegetation aside from the tall, coarse, brown grass, and they had no supplies. The army they had travelled with had carried everything they needed with them. Teal'c suspected that SG-1 had been allowed to escape partly because they were not expected to make it back to the temple alive.

If that was the expectation, however, their enemies would be disappointed. Teal'c knew the strength and perseverance of his friends, and knew they would survive, no matter how hard the journey.

And it would be hard. Daniel Jackson was injured. Not badly, but the cut had bled a lot, and without water to clean the wound, he risked infection. All of them, except possibly for Daniel Jackson, had not been fed well. They were all tired from their capture and escape.

They spoke little when they rested. O'Neill lay down in the grass and took a brief nap. When he awoke, they remounted the horses and continued. Teal'c chose to walk. He found it less tiring to set his own pace than rely on the pace of an animal.

The one comfort they had was that it was not as hot as it had been. There were some clouds in the sky which blocked the sun. This helped their progress, and they arrived at the first camp site just after the sun's peak in the sky.

Teal'c found refuse left by the soldiers, including scraps of food -- burnt meat, hard, stale bread -- and half a cup of a fermented liquid. This Major Carter used to clean Daniel Jackson's wound. The Tau'ri split the meager scraps of food, and Teal'c meditated to balance his body's needs.

O'Neill scavenged a large area of the camp site, and was rewarded by a skin about two-thirds full of water. They rationed the water carefully and rested before leaving the site.

The horses also needed water, but they had none to spare. The Tau'ri rode the horses to exhaustion, until nightfall. When they stopped again, one horse ran away, and the other collapsed, near death. They had no way of saving the animal, so O'Neill killed it to end its misery. That night they ate charred horseflesh crudely carved with the sword Major Carter had taken from a soldier.

Daniel Jackson went to sleep first. His wound had started bleeding again. The night was cool, and there was a breeze. Teal'c removed his jacket and placed it over Daniel Jackson's shoulders. He took first watch while Major Carter and O'Neill stretched out next to Daniel Jackson and slept.

The journey the next day was long and slow. They reached the temple in the afternoon, and could barely climb the stairs after their endless walk. Teal'c wondered why a temple so revered was left unguarded, but Daniel Jackson had no explanation for it.

When they stepped through the stargate back on Earth, and faced General Hammond and the defensive troops in the gateroom, O'Neill did not make any characteristic jokes. To General Hammond's, "Welcome back, SG-1," O'Neill simply said, "Glad to be back, sir."

\-----

Hammond gave them twenty-four hours downtime after the mission, after all the reports had been filed. Top of Jack's to-do list was sleep, followed by eating large amounts of good old American comfort food.

Daniel was, by default, always at the top of the list, but Jack was so exhausted he wasn't sure how much doing he could actually accomplish in the Daniel department. Still, after he'd picked up a cherry pie and a couple of deluxe old-fashioned hamburgers to go, he headed over to Daniel's place.

Daniel answered the door on the third ring, barefoot and blinking behind his glasses. "Hey," he said.

Jack handed him the pie. Daniel perked up. "Cherry?"

"Cherry. From Stella's in town."

"I'll start the oven."

They sat at Daniel's dining table and ate the hamburgers, not talking much. Jack wondered which of them would slip into a stupor first, they were barely awake enough to eat. Daniel was only holding on for pie, he was sure.

"How's the leg?" he asked.

Daniel pulled back from the table, propped his leg on an empty chair, and rolled up his pants leg, revealing a gauze bandage about two inches square. "Didn't need stitches or anything. Should be okay in a couple of weeks. It itches, though."

Jack moved his chair over to get a better look. He could see the traces of a bruise extending from under the bandage and thought about the kind of whack one of those swords would have given. He ran his hand over the arch of Daniel's foot and over his ankle. He rubbed under the ankle bone with his thumb then skimmed one finger along the bottom of Daniel's foot.

He looked up and Daniel was watching him, almost smiling, head tilted slightly. Daniel brought his other leg up. Jack moved his chair closer, pushed the empty one aside, and let Daniel rest his feet on his lap.

"How much longer for the pie?" Jack asked.

Daniel checked his watch. "About twenty minutes." He took off his glasses, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Jack gently stroked his feet, thinking it was probably a weird thing to do.

Daniel rested his elbow on the table and propped his head on his fist. He looked at Jack and said, "You were jealous."

Jack took his time replying. "No. I didn't like the way he looked at you. I didn't like his interest in you. I didn't like _him_. But I wasn't jealous, exactly."

Daniel was quiet for a few moments. "You knew I wasn't interested in him. You knew I wouldn't be tempted."

Jack shrugged. "I guess."

"No. You knew." Daniel's tone was pointed, but not challenging. He was just stating a fact.

Jack looked into his eyes. "Yeah. I knew." He rubbed Daniel's ankles and smiled. "You were so pissed when you came back."

Daniel narrowed his eyes. "You could've warned me."

"How? 'Hey, Daniel, he wants to jump your bones'? Would you have believed that?"

Daniel rubbed his chin. "Well... Still." He straightened his back and rested his arm on the table, absently toying with the salt shaker. "He was just lonely, I think. He'd had a lover who was killed..."

"Daniel."

Daniel set the salt shaker down and looked at Jack.

Jack said, "He was a commander. You were his prisoner. Loneliness might have been part of it, but there was way more to it than that. Believe me."

Daniel frowned a little, thinking. "You're saying he would have... coerced me. No matter what I wanted. Just to prove a point."

"Yeah."

"You can't possibly know that."

"Oh, I think I can," Jack said, patting Daniel's feet and lowering them to the floor. "I know his type."

Daniel raised an eyebrow, but was cut off from asking whatever question was brewing in his mind by the oven timer beeping. Jack set the pie out to cool, thinking that if Daniel had ice cream, they could eat it now. He checked the freezer just in case. It was so encrusted with ice and frost, even if there had been any ice cream in there, damned if he was going to excavate it.

When he wandered back over to the dining table, Daniel had his head propped on his fist again. His eyes were closed, and his mouth slightly open.

Jack stood behind Daniel's chair and rested his hands on Daniel's shoulders, massaging very gently, very carefully, trying not to wake him up. He looked down at the top of Daniel's head, checked for signs of male pattern baldness -- hey, you could never be too sure -- and found none. Checked for grey. Nope. He bent down and lightly kissed the top of Daniel's head. Which was probably another weird thing to do.

He went back inside the kitchen and hunted around for a knife. The smell of the pie was making his mouth water. He leaned against the counter, stared at the pie, and pictured that guy Fabius alone with Daniel.

No, he hadn't been jealous. He'd been territorial. And that wasn't good, was it? He thought about it. What if Fabius had taken an interest in Carter and lured her into his tent? Or what if it had been Teal'c?

He was left thinking he wouldn't have liked it, but wouldn't have felt as territorial. And no, that wasn't good, team-wise, and probably not Daniel-wise, either. Daniel would probably have some _theory_ about it, about why it sent up red flags about their relationship. Or he'd just say something cutting to make it clear how silly Jack had been to feel that way.

Jack cut into the pie, unwilling to wait any longer. Gooey cherry filling stuck to the blade. He wiped it off with one finger and licked it. Ahhh. And ouch. Hot.

As he sliced the pie, he thought of something else. What if Fabius had taken a shine to him? How would Daniel have felt? Jealous? Territorial? He was pretty sure Daniel wouldn't have liked it. If Daniel had noticed it at all. There was always that. How had Daniel missed Fabius's blatant _I want to fuck your brains out_ looks in the first place? And what the hell had they talked about while they were alone? Just Carthage, like Daniel's report said? Then why did Daniel know all about this guy's dead lover?

Jack pulled two plates out of the drying rack. Okay, he was doing it again, that territorial stuff. And it _was_ pretty silly. Daniel was right -- the only thing that mattered was what Jack had known all along: Daniel wasn't interested in Fabius or any other man, wasn't tempted.

It was the only thing that mattered, because it was such an incredible, wonderful thing.

Jack dished out two slices of pie and took them to the dining table. He held one plate in front of Daniel's face and let the smell of cherry pie work its magic. Daniel jerked awake and sat up.

"Thanks," he said, taking the plate.

After dessert was bed -- not the usual so-horny-for-each-other going to bed, but a weary, sleep-is-good going to bed. Which was okay by Jack. Just sliding into bed next to Daniel and feeling the warmth of his skin was perfectly okay.

The hours melted in sleep. Night bled into day. Dreams faded, and light poured into the stillness.

Daniel woke up with one arm draped across Jack's chest and his face pressed against Jack's shoulder. Without opening his eyes to check, he knew Jack was awake. He settled more comfortably and slid his fingertips through Jack's chest hair.

"Daniel. What's this?"

Daniel yawned, opened his eyes, and peered past Jack's shoulder. Jack held a small, rectangular cardboard box in his hands, turning it over to read the sides.

"You went through my drawer," Daniel said, wanting to change the subject. Knowing it wouldn't work, but willing to make the attempt.

"I woke up. I was bored. I was looking for something to read."

Daniel looked at him. "Read," he repeated. He gestured around the room. "Hundreds of books around the place, and you have to go hunting around in my bedside table?"

Jack shrugged. "I didn't want to disturb you."

Daniel blinked at him. Jack had the good grace to look cornered and guilty for a moment before holding up the box and waving it back and forth. The tube inside rattled. "So. What is this?"

Daniel cleared his throat. "It's what it says it is."

"Oh." Jack turned the box over again and read the side. Daniel watched him silently, and waited. Jack opened one end, looked inside, closed the box. He read another side panel. He tapped the box with his index finger.

"So, umm... umm..." Jack paused and gave Daniel a sidelong look. "You, uh, bought this?"

Daniel absently stroked Jack's chest. "After our... After what we talked about... You know, after the last mission... I thought this might be something we would, umm, need."

"Need," Jack repeated. He stared at the box again. He opened one end, pulled the tube out, and set the box aside. He held the tube in his hands, turning it over and over. He lifted his eyebrows and looked over at Daniel. "It's been used."

Daniel's face flushed with heat. He shifted his gaze to Jack's fingers holding the tube. "I, uh, tried... it."

"Tried it."

Daniel glanced back at Jack, who was staring at the tube thoughtfully.

"Tried it as in 'tried it' tried it?" Jack asked. "Or just checked it out kind of tried it?"

Daniel's cheeks burned. "'Tried it' tried it."

Jack's eyebrows flew up, and his eyes widened. He stared at Daniel. "Oh." He paused, lips parted. Shut his mouth. Frowned a little. Lifted his eyebrows again. "Um... What was it... Was it... Um... You know."

Daniel leaned back against the pillows, arm pressed against Jack's. He scratched his neck. He needed to think about his reply. He hadn't tried to put this into words yet.

"Well, it was..." He lifted his eyebrows and gestured uncertainly. "Different."

Jack tapped the tube against his knuckles. "Oh, I'll bet."

Daniel licked his lips. "Not bad different. Just... different."

"Good different?"

Daniel considered, remembering curiosity, hesitation, awkwardness, more curiosity, and vague confusion. He also remembered thinking it would probably be a lot more enjoyable with Jack around.

"Good's sort of a relative term in this case," he said.

"Ah." Jack turned the tube over in his hands again. "So, when were you going to tell me about this?"

"Oh, I don't know. Probably today. I wasn't trying to hide anything. I just..." He trailed off and Jack looked over at him, silent and patient and understanding. Yes. Understanding. Daniel breathed out in relief.

Jack rolled over onto his side, facing Daniel. Daniel noticed he carefully set the tube between them. Jack propped himself on one elbow and rested his other hand on Daniel's chest, sliding it up to massage the curve of his neck, then hold his cheek. Jack idly rubbed Daniel's right sideburn with one finger and gazed into his eyes. Daniel gazed back, content to let the warmth of that look wash over him. He brushed the back of his hand over Jack's stomach.

"Sometimes..." Jack said quietly.

"I know," Daniel said. "Me too."

Jack smiled and rubbed Daniel's hair. "Good." He glanced down at the tube between them, arched one eyebrow and cleared his throat. "So, umm..."

Daniel raised an eyebrow, reached for the tube, opened it, and took Jack's hand in his. He guided it to the tube and moved their fingers together, taking and spreading the slick wetness. Lots of it, until Jack's fingers were slippery, tangling with his, and his fingers were slippery, tangling with Jack's. A little silly and playful. Daniel's pulse quickened and his blood rushed.

Jack smiled at him and kissed him, slow but very, very hungry. Daniel shivered and kissed him back, just as hungry. He moved the tube out of the way, and shifted to press against Jack, sliding one leg around Jack's. Jack held him and ran his wet, slippery hand down Daniel's back and over his ass, but shied away from... _Oh, Jack_.

Daniel broke from their kiss and laughed softly. He reached back and took Jack's hand, rubbing more slickness on their fingers together, and guided him.

Jack took a deep breath. "Daniel," he whispered. But he didn't hesitate. Oh, no. His fingers strayed from Daniel's, and explored, and discovered, and touched. So gentle. But not hesitant. Daniel shivered again and curved into Jack's embrace.

Jack kissed him, kissed his neck, kissed his shoulder. So very, very hungry. And beyond that hunger, still so gentle: touching, rubbing, slick, sliding, sliding inside... Inside... Daniel's breath caught. Jack caressed his cheek with his lips, not even kisses, just warm flesh and breath. And sliding inside, Jack's finger, not hesitant.

Daniel buried his fingers in Jack's hair and kissed him ravenously. He pushed his cock, hard and pounding, against Jack's. Jack shuddered, pushed back, slid, thrust. Jack's finger, inside, sliding, touching, stopping, still. So strange, so different, so... oh... _Oh, Jack_.

Daniel arched and thrust fast and held onto Jack's neck. Trembled as the sensation rush poured through him and he came, hot and quick and hard. Jack held him tightly, still inside, answering shudders with panted breath against Daniel's ear. A soft, low sound before his body pressed hard against Daniel's, and he thrust, and the solid heat of his cock released sticky, wet slickness over Daniel's skin.

Daniel kept trembling. It was like the caffeine jitters, only deeper. Jack inhaled, exhaled, and brought his hand up to hold Daniel's hip. Daniel moved his fingers through Jack's hair, stroking, and looked down, at the way they were pressed together. Watched daylight catch the sweat on Jack's skin, highlight the hairs on his own leg, form a pool of shadow where their cocks touched and rested. Aware of Jack watching him watch.

They stayed that way for a long time. Until the daylight moved, and the shadows altered, and where their skin didn't touch, it was too cold. Daniel shivered, which brought on another set of jitters. Jack reached over and pulled the sheets over them.

Jack kissed Daniel's temple. He raised an eyebrow and said quietly, "Good's a relative term?" He shifted onto his back, and Daniel settled comfortably against him.

"Mm-hm," Daniel replied. He spread his fingers across Jack's stomach and smoothed his hand up, and over, and across. Stroking softly as he relaxed and felt lazy.

Jack caressed his shoulders and back, making slow circles with his fingertips. He cleared his throat. "So. Um. How relative?"

Daniel smiled and pressed his lips to Jack's nipple. He glanced up and murmured, "You'll see." Jack stared at him. Daniel licked Jack's nipple and touched it with his teeth, and felt Jack's fingertips dig into his shoulder just a little bit.

Daniel slid up a little, touched Jack's cheek, and kissed him very softly, very slowly. When he drew back, Jack was half-smiling, and had that glittering, interested, in-lust-but-too-tired-to-do-anything-about-it look in his eyes.

"Oh, I'll see all right," Jack said.

The hours fell away. They cleaned up, they went back to bed and dozed, they got up and showered and shaved, they got dressed and ate cold pie, and now the hours were disappearing.

Jack stood by the door, hands in pants pockets. Daniel leaned against the wall opposite, hands in pants pockets. He looked at the floor, at Jack's shoes, at the door, at the ceiling, noticed the lightbulb in the entryway needed changing, finally looked at Jack.

"I know," Jack said.

Daniel gave a half-nod. "Okay."

"Okay."

Jack pulled one hand free and checked his watch. He sighed and shook his head. Daniel smiled and pushed himself away from the wall to stand closer. He rested one hand on the nape of Jack's neck, just for a moment.

Jack half-smiled. "Bye."

"Bye."

Jack left and Daniel closed the door behind him. He looked up at the burnt-out lightbulb again, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and wandered back through the apartment to finish getting ready for work.

(the end)


End file.
